MSFLC Ch9

Hearing the commotion, Chi Chen opened the door and came out to meet them.

Lu Zhiyu dragged his fair, chubby little brother over, his face turning red from the effort. The moment he saw Chi Chen, he hurriedly said, “Come help me!”

Chi Chen shot Lu Zhiyu a glance. Expressionless, he walked over, took Lu Zhishi, who was steadily sliding downward, into his arms, tugged down the shirt that had ridden up and exposed the baby’s little belly, then picked up a white sock lying nearby.

Lu Zhishi silently let out a sigh of relief. He wrapped his little arms around Chi Chen’s neck and rested his chin on his shoulder, panting lightly.

Chi Chen’s hand covered his soft, chubby back and patted gently to help him catch his breath. Without even turning his head, he said to the sweat-wiping Lu Zhiyu beside him, “You could’ve put him in the stroller and just pushed him over.”

“We were in a hurry, I forgot.” Lu Zhiyu said as he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe Lu Zhishi’s drool. “Next time I’ll remember.”

Once inside, Lu Zhiyu habitually pressed some hand sanitizer at the entryway, then expertly went to the first-floor nursery and pulled out a stroller. Chi Chen bent down and set the little one into it.

Lu Zhishi leaned back against the stroller seat and exhaled. As soon as Chi Chen put the fallen sock back on, the baby immediately kicked his chubby legs and roll-roll-roll, sped the stroller wheels toward the kitchen.

“Ah…”

“Uncle heard you,” Bai Yansheng said, turning around.

“Ah!”

Bai Yansheng gave a short laugh. “Yes, but we’re eating dumplings for lunch. You’re eating rice mush.”

Lu Zhishi rolled circles around Bai Yansheng’s legs, grabbed his pant leg with one hand, and lifted his face to look up at him pitifully.

Big eyes versus big eyes. Bai Yansheng opened his mouth, about to say something, 

Then Chi Chen walked in, with Lu Zhiyu beside him drinking milk.

Chi Chen calmly placed a hand on the baby’s round head and said flatly, “You can eat it when you’re older.”

Lu Zhishi felt like he was lying to children. Because he’d said that last time too. And the time before that.

The curly-haired baby puffed his cheeks, tugged Bai Yansheng’s pants closer and rubbed his face against them, still whining under his breath.

Who could resist a baby’s spoiled clinginess, 

“Still no-” Bai Yansheng said.

Lu Zhishi turned his head and looked up at Chi Chen, who remained expressionless.

Chi Chen grabbed the stroller handle and dragged him out.

Lu Zhishi: “……”

Sitting in the stroller, he opened his mouth. His little chest rose and fell, like he was about to burst into tears any second.

Chi Chen sat down in front of him, equally calm, and put a small spoonful of milk jelly into the baby’s open mouth.

“Nom nom…” Lu Zhishi instinctively closed his mouth and chewed, then opened his eyes, brightening instantly. He hugged Chi Chen’s wrist with both hands, lifted his face, and opened his mouth again.

“Ah…”

Chi Chen lowered his gaze to the short, chubby little hands clinging to his wrist, fair and soft, with tiny dimples on the back of the hand.

He looked away, scooped another spoonful, and fed him again, occasionally pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.

There wasn’t much milk jelly, just a palm-sized little box. Bai Yansheng had brought it back from abroad, and even six-month-old babies could eat it.

After feeding him a little under half, Chi Chen put the rest away. He reached out to pat Lu Zhishi’s round belly, then took a damp towel and wiped the baby’s hands clean.

Lu Zhishi let out a tiny burp.

Then he saw Chi Chen turn his back, pull something from his pocket, and write on it.

Lu Zhishi tilted his head. It looked like a small notebook.

With the filling ready, Bai Yansheng started wrapping dumplings in the kitchen. Chi Chen and Lu Zhiyu went to help, and behind them roll-roll-roll followed a little tail.

Lu Zhishi kicked his feet and rolled his stroller right next to Bai Yansheng, behaving obediently, no crying, no fussing, just staring with round eyes as they wrapped dumplings.

To accommodate the kids, the dumpling basin was placed on a short table, and Bai Yansheng and the boys sat on small chairs around it.

That made it easier for Lu Zhishi to cruise around in his stroller and inspect everything.

One moment he rolled behind Lu Zhiyu, grabbed his shirt, and shoved his round head forward to peek at the table.

The next moment he slid next to Chi Chen, watching seriously how he wrapped dumplings.
Then he happily rolled over to Bai Yansheng, placing a tiny hand on his arm, eyes wide and unblinking as he stared at the big white dumplings in his hands.

The chubby dumpling couldn’t walk, but he was impressively agile in a stroller.

Seeing him darting everywhere, cheeks flushed and breathing a little hard when he finally stopped by his side, Bai Yansheng washed his hands and picked him up, taking him to the living room to drink some water.

Lu Zhishi lay against Bai Yansheng’s shoulder, face red, eyes bright, sniffing the faint scent of disinfectant and body wash on him.

The chubby baby blinked, buried his face into Bai Yansheng’s shoulder, and sniffed again, then nodded subconsciously.

It was that scent.

Very similar to the scent on Xiao Chen-gege.

Bai Yansheng had no idea what the baby was doing. Holding him with one arm, he prepared formula with practiced ease.

Lu Zhishi held the bottle with both hands and gulped. As he drank, the blush on his face faded. His white chubby cheeks kept a soft pink tint, making him look even more like a peach.

The more Bai Yansheng looked, the more he liked him. His hand reached out unconsciously and pinched the baby’s cheek.

Lu Zhishi lifted his face around the bottle. “……?”

Before Bai Yansheng could pull his hand back, he met the baby’s clear black-and-white eyes and felt slightly awkward.

But in the next second, before Bai Yansheng could withdraw, Lu Zhishi leaned his face into Bai Yansheng’s palm and rubbed against it.

Bai Yansheng’s eyes softened into a smile. He held the baby closer and gently ruffled his little curls.

When they returned to the kitchen, Bai Yansheng paused at the doorway, gaze dropping to the dumpling plate.

It had been half full before. Now it was nearly packed.

The two boys were wrapping like they were competing, dropping dumplings onto the plate one after another.

One looked sternly serious, the other calm and focused. When Bai Yansheng walked in, both looked up at him at the same time, hands never stopping, so competitive that they even “fought” over the last dumpling wrapper.

Bai Yansheng: “…You’ve worked hard.”

They were wrapping too fast. Bai Yansheng checked the clock, still early, so he wasn’t in a rush to cook.

Chi Chen sat on the sofa watching TV, expressionless, but Lu Zhishi could tell he was in a very good mood.

In contrast, Lu Zhiyu sat beside him with the same blank expression… but without Chi Chen’s good mood.

Lu Zhishi sucked on his pacifier and secretly smiled, eyes curved.

Bai Yansheng went upstairs for something. Lu Zhishi turned his head, glanced at Chi Chen, then at his brother, and quietly waited while chewing his pacifier.

Sure enough, after a short while of TV, Lu Zhiyu started talking.

“When you were three and a dog chased you, who was it that never abandoned you and dragged you along to run?”

Lu Zhishi almost laughed out loud.

Chi Chen kept staring at the TV without blinking. “You mean that husky you accidentally let out?”

Lu Zhiyu ignored him completely. “When we were four and we went on a field trip and you peed your pants, who climbed hills and crossed rivers to find you clean pants?”

Chi Chen pressed his lips together. Lu Zhishi could see his molars clench. “Who woke up in the middle of the night in pitch black to drink water and spilled it all over me?”

Lu Zhiyu acted like he didn’t hear. “Last month on the picnic, you stepped in bird poop, who went through so much trouble to find a faucet and wash your shoes?”

“…”

Chi Chen didn’t argue.

Lu Zhishi couldn’t hold it in anymore, he tilted over laughing into Lu Zhiyu.

“Ha-ha…”

Lu Zhiyu steadied him and sat him on his lap, still continuing his accusations. “Who was it-”

Chi Chen interrupted, “Next week’s clay assignment. I’ll do it for you.”

“Who was it-”

“Plus one paper-cutting assignment.”

“Deal!”

Chi Chen’s straight back relaxed slightly as he leaned against the sofa.

“Ha-ha, hahahaha, !”

Chi Chen turned his head, still expressionless, to look at the chubby can laughing so hard he was wobbling.

Chi Chen: “……”

He turned away and rubbed the bridge of his nose, then let out a short laugh.

After lunch, once dumplings were eaten and Lu Zhishi finished his milk, he bit his pacifier and burrowed into Bai Yansheng’s arms, drowsy to the point his eyelids wouldn’t stay open.

Lu Zhiyu circled Bai Yansheng twice.

Bai Yansheng smiled lightly. “Want to take a nap together?”

Lu Zhiyu nodded. “Okay.”

Bai Yansheng carried the little one upstairs. Chi Chen went with Lu Zhiyu back home to fetch Lu Zhishi’s nap things.

Lu Zhiyu told Song Qinian, then hugged Lu Zhishi’s small blanket and headed back to the Chi house. Chi Chen followed behind carrying a big fat rabbit plush.

A soft little bundle slept in the middle of the bed, belly sticking out as he snored, though not very steadily, eyes cracked open a tiny sliver.

Lu Zhiyu tiptoed in and covered his little belly with the blanket. Chi Chen followed and tucked the fat rabbit plush into his arms.

Lu Zhishi instinctively hugged the rabbit, rubbed against it sleepily, grabbed the corner of the blanket with one hand, eyes shut tight, and sank into deeper sleep.

Lu Zhishi was still too small, so he could only sleep in Bai Yansheng’s bedroom, where Bai Yansheng could watch him.

Chi Chen and Lu Zhiyu returned to their own room for a short nap.

Thinking about Lu Zhishi, Lu Zhiyu woke up quickly and started pacing at Bai Yansheng’s bedroom door.

He often brought Lu Zhishi over to play, but this was Lu Zhishi’s first time sleeping here. Lu Zhiyu worried he might not be used to it… or might get scared.

Chi Chen came out, glanced at him, and silently squatted down beside him near the door.

When Bai Yansheng woke from his nap and saw them like that, he found it funny too. Lowering his voice, he said, “He’s still sleeping.”

The little chubby baby slept until four in the afternoon.

Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen watched beside him. The baby hadn’t even opened his eyes yet when he started humming and whining, stretching his soft little body and wriggling around on the bed.

Chi Chen watched him and thought:

He really looks like a little caterpillar.

Lu Zhiyu skillfully picked his brother up, hugged him close, and patted him, one hand gently rubbing the back of the baby’s neck.

Lu Zhishi rested on Lu Zhiyu’s shoulder, head tilted, blinking slowly and dully, clearly not fully awake.

Chi Chen went to the nursery next door to mix formula, tested the temperature on the back of his hand, then brought the bottle to Lu Zhishi’s mouth.

The chubby can instinctively opened his mouth and latched on, one chubby hand reaching out to hold the bottle, cheeks puffed as he sucked earnestly.

Halfway through, he finally woke up. Lu Zhishi released the bottle, whimpering a little in embarrassment, and wanted to find Uncle Bai.

Chi Chen looked at him for two seconds, then turned and went to find the adult.

After taking care of his “needs,” Lu Zhishi relaxed and lay lazily on Lu Zhiyu’s legs, finishing the rest of the milk.

Chi Yueheng came home from work carrying several big bags. The moment he entered, he heard the roll-roll-roll of stroller wheels charging toward him.